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Hi everyone,
I haven't posted in awhile -- been busy at work and getting the kids ready for school.
Just wanted to give an update on my progress. I am now almost 10 weeks post op. You may remember that I experienced retraction in my left lid, as well as a "frozen" margin (doesn't move when I smile or squint). Well, between weeks 3 and 6 the retraction improved about 90%, going from pretty severe to barely noticeable. I am no longer hiding behind glasses at work and I feel very confident that the retraction is not noticeable to people who aren't looking for it.
The lid margin is still frozen -- a problem which is only evident when I laugh, because then my eyes look completely different from one another. The right eye squints up as it is supposed to when you laugh, but the left eye stays open. Looks kinda creepy, actually. I've seen only slight improvement with this issue, so I'm getting concerned about whether or not it's going to resolve. On the other hand, I've been feeling some strange sensations on and off in that lid -- tingles, itches, and heat -- so I know that there's still stuff going on in there.
And, on a much happier note, my husband says I look "refreshed", and he cannot notice anything wrong with my eyelid. He says before the surgery I looked really tired, and now my eyes are opened up and alert. He's glad I did it (and so am I -- even with the problems).
I did have an appt scheduled with my PS today -- but I've been invited to bring the family to the beach today to visit some friends. So I'm playing hooky from work and will reschedule with the PS.
Have a great day!!!
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Hi Shadow,
Hey, I'm so happy things are improving for you.. remember you and I had the same doctor! With regard to the one /mmh/product/eyelidsurgery/index.vm?procid=6" target=_blank>eye looking different than the other, I have that... but some days it's noticeable and other days you can't even tell. Your eyes are still healing. My eyes are different and better and I'm 2 years out. If I had to do it all over again, I definitely wound NOT, but I'm beginning to accept what I have. The healing takes a long time... I'm just really happy to hear that you're sounding happier and happier w/the way things have turned out. Dr. G. is a man of few words, isn't he? He is the quietest doc I've ever known! Best wishes, Suz
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Hey Suz!
Great to hear from you -- hope you're finding fun things to do this wet, dreary Labor Day weekend.
Yes, Dr. G is a soft spoken man. At least I feel like he is dealing with me candidly, which is helping. He didn't try to downplay my concerns, and so far the things that he said would happen, have happened. Like with the retraction -- it was REALLY bad at 2 weeks, and he said I would see dramatic changes over the next 2-3 weeks. He was right, I did. Even so, I am still planning a visit to Dr. Milite at about the 3-4 month mark assuming the lid muscle is still not working right. I didn't get a clear explanation from Dr. G on what was going on with it (he said the whole area was in shock and needed time to recover), so I am going to want a second opinion.
Thank goodness my eyes look normal so I'm able to go to work and function without really thinking about them. For the first few weeks post op, when they looked really bad, I kept checking the mirror every 15 minutes to see if anything had improved. I couldn't focus on anything else -- incl. my kids -- so I know what other people are going through who haven't been able to get back to their life.
I'm so glad to hear that you're at peace with your eyes -- I saw that you had a change of heart on the fat grafting. Good for you! Are you back to work?
Shadow
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Hey Shadow,
No, I'm not back to work yet. I'm planning on going back in mid-September IF my eyes continue to look like they do now. It
s been better lately, so that's why I haven't done anything further. I'm just so happy that things are better for you. Wish me luck on the "back to work" thing. I've been out since February 2006 b/cuz of my eyes and my utter despair over them. I'm not sure why they are looking better or more acceptable now, but hey, I'll take it, whatever the reason. I feel bored and out of sorts being at home all the time. I'm sleeping late, till noon and up till late and really don't have a lot going on. Just pray that no one mentions my "googly eyes" again. Hugs to you!!!! Suz
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Shadow
That is wonderful news. I've often wondered how you were doing and I hoped no news was good news. The recovery can be difficult when the eyes heal at different rates and it makes it pretty hard to focus on anything else. I am so impressed with anyone who can continue on with life as usual while they wait six months to a year for a revision.
I hope the lid margin resolves itself before your scheduled consultation so that you can put this surgery behind you.
JD"If you can stay calm, while all around you is chaos... then you probably haven't completely understood the situation."
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Hey Suz and Babydrum -
Suz - you never had a revision, am i right? I think you were considering it but nothing came to pass. And it sounds like what you really needed was more time to heal, anyway.
I'm open to hearing what the docs have to say, but I'm not sure I would go for a revision any time soon. I'd be afraid of making things worse when all that was really needed was tincture of time.
I've been scouring the internet looking for info on this frozen margin thing. Dr. Garcia says its a weakened muscle and will come back in time. Mariel (where is she anyway??? Didn't she have her revision recently???) said it was tethering caused by scar tissue. Dr. G says the whole area is in shock -- so he stayed kinda noncommital on the cause (thanks, doc). I tthink I need a Dr. Milite to help me understand what the problem is -- and if it will resolve on its own over time.
We'll see.....anyways, as always, you ladies are so supportive and wonderful!!! I see the sun if finally out over Philadelphia so we can enjoy what's left of the holiday weekend.
{{{Hugs}}}
